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garf-tem3

Edit 0 31 …

Shaped vs Straight skis



Broad Question

Do straight skis make it harder for a skier to have turning ability?

Specific Question



Will a straight ski be harder to turn on than a shaped ski or freestyle ski?

Variables

Independent Variable: Ski Shape

Dependent Variable: Distance traveled from stake in snow (ft.)


Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

The speed the skier travels at when the turn starts.
Where the skier starts the turn.
Who is using the ski.
Types of wax on the skis.

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that the straight ski will be harder to turn than a shaped and a freestyle ski because the parabolic shape of the shaped ski should make it so that the ski is easier to turn. This parabolic shape uses the ski edges in a way that forces the ski to bend and turn.

Graph of Hypothesis

science_graph_hypotheseis_8th_grade.JPG

General Plan


Experimental Design


My question is “ Will a straight ski be harder to turned than a shaped ski or freestyle ski?” In other words, you could say its testing which ski has more turning ability. I will be using three pairs of skis, one pair will have no shape at all, a pair of freestyle skis (which have some shape) and a shaped ski (that has lots of shape, very parabolic). To conduct this experiment I will be using my back yard, on a hill where I can get run in a track where I can gain a consistent speed each time. Also, I will be the skier each time testing this for consistency.
Each ski will go through 10 trials (30 in all) . I will print out my data table and record it each time, then put it on the computer later. Also I will hot wax each ski identically to deal with the different wax and base covering variable of the experiment.
When it comes to documenting the process, I will have a camera on me at all times during the experiment. I (and my sibling) will take lots of pictures and pick the best ones which will be used in my science fair.


Experimental Design


Materials list

Shaped skis (atomic slalom skis)
Freestyle skis (K2 bad seeds)
Straight ski (an old ski from my basement)
A stake
Tape measure
Hill
An experienced skier
Camera
Spray Paint for marking

Detailed procedure


  • 1. Wax all 3 pairs of skis with the right wax for the predicted temperature the night before.

  • 2. Find the spot on my hill I will use to get speed

  • 3. Mark a start point at the top of the hill and put in a stake where I want to initiate my turn.

  • 4. Create a run in by skiing over the part of the hill that will be used five times.

  • 5. Put on the straight skis.

  • 6. Start at top of hill, ski down to stake, and turn at stake until I am turned 90 degrees to my left.

  • 7. Measure distance from the back of the binding to the stake.

  • 8. Repeat 9 times

  • 9. Put on freestyle skis

  • 10. Repeat steps 6-7

  • 11. Put on shaped skis

  • 12. Repeat steps 6-7

  • 13. Upload pictures to computer and enter experiment data into data table

old_skis.htm

Backround Research

  • The people who have missed the “shaped ski revolution” and are not familiar with the new shape should certainly try it. It also states that straight skis are as useless as a 10 year old computer. So overall that article leads me to believe that shaped skis turn much easier than straight skis.
  • This site makes me think that straight skis are not an extreme challenge to ski, but they require more skill and coordination to use. Also it said that skiing was once for only people who are very coordinated, but can now be done by almost anyone. So my conclusion with this article is that shaped skis are not essential in today's ski world, but do make a large difference on the skill level that is needed to ski and have provided many more people with the opportunity to try the sport.
  • This site tells me that straight skis are very out of date and old news. From my experience on the mountain I can say that straight skis are not used as much as shaped. In a way I can understand this because the straight skis are much harder to turn than newer shaped skis of today. Although at the same time straight skis aren't impossible, they are just harder to work with when you want to turn. Overall I believe that it's stating if you learned on straight skis you can stay with them, but if your new to it use a shaped ski.
  • Now on the topic more of speed, so knowing if one ski is faster than the other in a straight line. The book states that speed is not in the skis, but the aerodynamics, which is why ski racers wear GS suits because there is less air resistance. Weight plays a role too, because the more weight that the skier has the more gravity will push the skier down the hill which will create more speed. So in my experiment as long as I wax the skis with the same wax the night before, the friction aspect of speed for skis will be no problem to me, making my test much more accurate. I will wear the same clothing in my experiment so the skiers aerodynamics will be the same.




References
Allen, Glen. "Skiing and other snow sports/Finally switching to shaped skis.." All Experts. 14 Jan. 2007. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://en.allexperts.com/q/Skiing-other-snow-1530/Finally-switching-shaped-skis.html>.



Gardner, Robert. Science and sports. USA: Robert Gardner, 1998. Print.


Mercer, Lisa. "Straight Skis vs. Parabolic Skis." Trails.com. 2004. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.trails.com/list_1353_straight-skis-vs-parabolic-skis.html>.


Rusty, Carr. "Shape ski article by the rusty." The Rusty. 2006. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.therusty.com/shape_ski_article.htm>.



ski_rcer.htm

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=ski+racer&hl=en&safe=active&gbv=2&biw=1024&bih=578&tbm=isch&tbnid=ziCW9chBy_tabM:&imgrefurl=http:www.skiracing.org.nz/ski-racing/detail/&docid=WU5Uhf-VurlJ5M&imgurl=http://www.skiracing.org.nz/content/images/216/960x430cropjpg/Ski_Nat_5.jpg&w=960&h=430&ei=InApT-fSCKn50gH0soXdAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=238&vpy=297&dur=177&hovh=150&hovw=336&tx=174&ty=86&sig=118292517813717260747&page=2&tbnh=75&tbnw=168&start=15&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:15



http://www.google.com/imgres?q=old+skis&hl=en&safe=active&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=834&tbm=isch&tbnid=yAboFg4h0mn9WM:&imgrefurl=http:www.art.com/products/p10280435-sa-i1082972/laurence-david-old-skis-i.htm&docid=TCTw6N8jkZ7zcM&imgurl=http://cache2.artprintimages.com/p/LRG/10/1082/FF9V000Z/art-print/old-skis-i.jpg&w=306&h=450&ei=Y9pMT6aFIc610AGk-fm9Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=269&vpy=207&dur=570&hovh=272&hovw=185&tx=82&ty=141&sig=108814313438019749041&page=1&tbnh=120&tbnw=82&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

Results

Data table


Graphs

ski_science_fair_graph.JPG



Photos


3_pairs_of_skis_garrett_fortin.JPG
freestyle_ski_test_garrett_fortin.JPG

Data Analysis



Results & Conclusion:

Conclusion:

The original purpose of this experiment was to find out if a ski with more shape make it easier to turn. The results of this experiment were that the shaped skis do increase the skiers turning ability. The straight ski was the hardest one to turn (26’ 2”). The freestyle ski was easier to turn than the straight ski (18’ 11”) . Lastly, the shaped ski was very easy to turn compared to the straight skis and the freestyle skis (15’ 8”) . So overall the more shape a ski has the easier it is to turn.

Discussion:

My hypothesis was that the skis with more shape would have a better turning ability than the skis with less or no shape. My results strongly support my data. My predictions went just as planned and it all worked out. A pattern in my data was that the more shape a ski had, the more turning ability it had. An example is that the straight ski couldn't turn as easily as the freestyle ski, and the freestyle ski couldn't turn as well as the shaped ski. That proves that the more shape the ski has, the more turning ability it has.

I believe the tests I did went quite well, for I followed my procedure as it was written and all went well. The conditions were also not soft so one ski didn't get an advantage over another for the results. If I was looking to improve my experiment I might try the idea of having multiple skiers of different abilities trial the 3 pairs of skis. This would also add another variable in it itself of skier ability and turning power. I think an interesting study for the future would be if I tried the same 3 pairs of skis on different inclines (steep and not so steep) and maybe I would get some crazy results!